Lansdale police have said that the department was contacted on March 26 by the mother of a fourth-grade student at Oak Park Elementary School — located at 500 Squirrel Lane — who said that her child informed her that around 4:15 p.m. on March 25, a older-model, black-and-red conversion van followed the child from the area of the school for several blocks.

The child reported that the driver of the van — whom the child never saw — never tried to make contact, but whenever the child walked faster or slower, the van “followed suit,” said Lansdale police Sgt. Alex Kromdyk.

The child walked to a nearby friend’s house, at which point the van left the area, according to Kromdyk.

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On Tuesday, detectives said that in the weeks since the alleged incident, officers on patrol in the vicinity of the school have not seen the van, and that the situation appears to be an “isolated incident” as there have been no other reports involving a vehicle that fits the description of the van made to either Lansdale police or other police departments in the North Penn area.

Still, detectives said, the incident remains an open and ongoing investigation, and anyone with any information should call Lansdale police at (215)368-1801.

Last month, the Lansdale Police Department posted on its Facebook page a series of tips for parents on how to keep their children safe from potential predators.

“The child in this case had the wherewithal to go to a friend’s house instead of continuing to walk, and that’s great,” Kromdyk said a few days after the incident. “Parents need to talk to their children and constantly reinforce what they should do in these types of situations.”